Upside Down Waterfall/Transcript

(Opening shot: fade in to a pixelated view of Tarrytown National Park during the day and zoom out slowly, the view resolving into itself as the narrator begins to speak.)

Narrator: It was a beautiful summer day in Tarrytown, and nobody enjoys it more than little Snuffy.

(Here comes the skywriter, flying over the park slowly.)

Narrator: That's why he liked to fly to Tarrytown National Park.

(Wipe to a soft glen; Snuffy taxis through slowly.)

Narrator: He loved to be surprised by the beauty of nature. The sights— (He taxis down a dirt path.) —the sounds, and of course— (Snuffy inhales.) —the lovely smells.

(Dissolve to an empty area, patched with dirt; Snuffy comes into view.)

Narrator: But one day, he suddenly came upon the most astonishing surprise of them all. It was so incredible and amazing— (Close-up of Snuffy.) —something Snuffy never heard of.

(The blue-grey eyes instantly widen as he sucks in a gasp at something o.s.)

Snuffy: Wow!Narrator: What was it, you ask?

(Before the skywriter could get any words out, the scene cuts to a close-up of Tracy and Jay Jay at Tarrytown Airport.)

Jay Jay: Yeah! What was it, Snuffy? (Widen to frame Snuffy.)Tracy: We really wanna know, tell us! (Close-up of Snuffy.)Snuffy: Uh, I-I don't really know. All I can say is that it looked...like...well...an upside down waterfall!Jay Jay, Tracy:(with disbelief) What?!Snuffy: Yup. That's exactly what it was. It was a waterfall where the water was falling upside down.Jay Jay:(shaking his head) You must've made a mistake, little guy. There is no such thing as an upside down waterfall.Snuffy: Uh-huh, Jay Jay! I saw what I saw—an upside down waterfall.Tracy: Where the water is falling up, instead of down?Snuffy: Right!Jay Jay, Tracy: Are you kidding us?Snuffy: I'm not kidding you.Jay Jay: Then, you'd better take us to this "upside down waterfall". We just can't believe it until we see it.Snuffy: Okay. Follow me.

(He taxis away, the two jet planes following behind. Dissolve to a head-on stretch of the sky; one by one each plane swoops into a view at a long distance in a line and comes forward.)

Narrator: So, Snuffy led Jay Jay and Tracy back to Tarrytown National Park, back to the scene of what he saw.

(They fly o.s. one by one; wipe to the same glen where Snuffy witnessed the "upside down waterfall" from earlier. Snuffy leads the two jet planes into view.)

Snuffy: Okay. I was standing right here.Tracy: Yes?Snuffy: And then I heard a big noise!Jay Jay: Uh-huh?Snuffy: And then I looked right over... (glances forward) ...here!

(Both jet planes turn in Snuffy's direction, but they don't share any reaction to anything.)

(The blue flyer goes o.s., the other two following. Dissolve to a profile view of the sky.)

*Underlined mentions of "up" and "down" are spoken in a rising or lowering manner, respectively.*

Jay Jay:(from o.s.) You see, Snuffy?

(Here comes the trio, Jay Jay leading; all three gradually fly upwards slowly, seen from a long distance.)

Jay Jay: Right now, we're flying up. This is the direction of up.Snuffy: Right. This is up.Jay Jay: And this is...dooooooown!

(Right on cue, the blue leader dives headfirst downward slowly, the other two following suit.)

Snuffy: Right, Jay Jay. Dooooooown.

(As the enumeration continues, the trio rise upward quickly on each "up", and dive downwards at that same speed on "down".)

Jay Jay:Up...down. Up...down.Jay Jay, Snuffy:Up...down. Up...down.

(They finish their flight with a pair of chuckles; cut to a head-on view of them as they get back in a line.)

Snuffy: This is fun!Jay Jay: Yeah! So now, you know up, from down, right?Snuffy: Right! (Close-up of Jay Jay.)Jay Jay: So, the water in that waterfall was running— (turning eyes and head downward) —dooooown, right? (Cut to Snuffy.)Snuffy:(shaking head) Nope. It was running— (raising head slowly) —uuuuuup. It was an upside down waterfall.

(All Jay Jay can do is voice an annoyed and disbelieving growl; cut to a head-on view of the trio.)

(Wipe to a diagonal angle of the sky; the trio lower slightly into view and come forward.)

Tracy: Now, I want you to look carefully at something. (glancing downward) Look down there.

(The other two get their eyes turned in her direction; cut to their perspective of a three-leveled waterfall, a rainbow arching across. Zoom in slowly.)

Snuffy:(from o.s.) Wow! It's beautiful!Tracy:(from o.s.) Now, that's a waterfall. And which way is the water falling? Up, or down?Snuffy:(from o.s.) Mmm, the water's falling down.Tracy:(from o.s.) Correct. The water's falling down. And that waterfall is just like the one you saw, right?Snuffy:(from o.s.) Right. (Cut back to the trio.) Except the water was falling up, instead of down.Tracy:(groaning loudly) Snuffy!! (Cut to Jay Jay.)Jay Jay: Snuffy, I think you're still confusing up...with down.

(He turns his eyes and head in either direction as he mentions it. Cut back to Snuffy, he looks toward him.)

Lighter tone, flute/woodwinds/xylophone slide on second and fourth beats

(Long shot of the trio, Jay Jay performs various flight patterns according to the lyrics.)

Jay Jay: Up is up, down is down
Square is square, round is round
Jill went up, Jack came down
And so did all the water

(The flight patterns are as follows. "Up is up": fly upward. "Down is down": fly back down to starting position. "Square is square": fly downward, to the left, and upward while facing forward, as if tracing the bottom of a square. "Round is round": fly in a clockwise circle while facing forward. "Jill went up": same as first, but fly slightly higher. "Jack came down": same as second. Close-up on him as he sings the last line.)

Sliding instruments stopShort flute/xylophone section after first three lines; last word of third line held, music briefly pauses at the same time

Jay Jay: Up and down is how a seasaw goes
But down's the only way the water flows
I know you think your water rows(He slowly shakes his head.)
But you just can't fool the laws of nature

​Sliding instruments in

(Long shot; Jay Jay performs the same flight patterns as in the previous chorus.)

Jay Jay: Up is up, down is down
Square is square, round is round
Jill went up, Jack came down
And so did all the water

Sliding instruments stop; same short sections/pause as earlier

Snuffy: But I know what I saw, and the water fell high
It fell up, up, up, 'til it touched the sky
Believe me, hey, did I ever lie?Jay Jay: No.

D flat major

(Tracy shakes her head in disbelief.)

Snuffy: I would never fool the laws of nature

Music pauses, but resumes on start of next line (G flat major)Same short sections/pause as earlier

(As Jay Jay sings the next line, he flips himself over and flies upside down. He continues to do so throughout the verse.)

Jay Jay: But, maybe you flew upside down
And the water fell up 'til it hit the ground(Snuffy shakes his head no...)
And it looked to you like the other way round(...and he flips back around.)
So it seemed to fool the laws of nature

Sliding instruments in

(Long shot; all three perform the flight patterns from the chorus.)

Jay Jay: Up is up, down is down
Square is square, round is round
Jill went upMusic pauses during next lineJay Jay: Jack came down, Snuffy!Music resumesJay Jay: And so did all the water

Song ends on a stinger

Snuffy: Um...okay, Jay Jay. But I still saw an upside down waterfall.Jay Jay, Tracy:Snuffy!!

(They rise upward out of frame; dissolve to a rear-on view of them, flying out of sight.)

(Dissolve to a close-up of Jay Jay in the main hangar at the airport; he explains something to Brenda in front of him.)

Narrator: Jay Jay was so frustrated by all this, that he went to see Brenda Blue to ask her advice.Jay Jay: ...And that's the story, Brenda. (Close-up.) No matter what, Snuffy says he says he saw a waterfall where the water was running up, instead of down!

(He raises his head and eyes on "up" and lowers them on "down"; cut to frame Brenda on the start of the next line.)

Jay Jay: But...but that can't be right, can it?Brenda: Well, Jay Jay, it's hard to say. It sure might seem like he's wrong, but...but you know, sometimes people see something that really is new and different. And because it's so new, it's hard to find the right words to describe it. (Cut to Jay Jay.)Jay Jay: Really?Brenda:(from o.s.) Uh-huh. (Pull back to frame her.) Maybe, just maybe, instead pf doubting Snuffy, you should trust him. After all, Snuffy's a smart little plane, and if he says he saw an upside down waterfall, then it's possible...he really did see it. You never know.Jay Jay:(gasps) Hey, you're right, Brenda! I've been doing this all wrong. Snuffy is my friend—instead of not believing him, I should've helped him prove he was right. If there's an upside down waterfall out there, then by golly, I'm gonna find it!Brenda: That's the spirit.

(The blue jet plane turns around and exits; dissolve to a view of Tarrytown National Park.)

Narrator: So, Jay Jay took Brenda's advice— (Jay Jay flies over.) —and flew to Tarrytown National Park to prove there really is an upside down waterfall.

(Cut to the sky; he rises into view.)

Jay Jay: Hmm...nope. Still no sign of any upside down waterfall. But I have to believe in Snuffy. (pauses) Maybe I'll go right back to where Snuffy said he saw it. Yeah, that's what I'll do!

(He swoops o.s., and the scene dissolves to the glen where Snuffy witnessed the "upside down waterfall". Jay Jay taxis slowly into view and looks around; nothing happens.)

Jay Jay: Hmm, I still don't see anything. But I can't give up— (Close-up.) I have to believe that Snuffy's right. He's my friend.

(He suddenly takes notice of something before him, the blue-violet eyes widening to the size of dinner plates as he voices a startled shriek, before letting his head raise automatically.)

Jay Jay:Oh my goodness!!Narrator: Now, it was Jay Jay's turn to be surprised.

(Jay Jay's perspective, a hole in the ground spraying water out like a fountain; zoom out quickly.)

Narrator: For there, right before his eyes—was the largest upside down waterfall he'd ever seen.

(We hear Jay Jay stammering o.s.; cut to him, still fixed upon the spectacle that was true all along.)

Jay Jay: I don't believe it!

(Away he goes; wipe to Snuffy/Brenda/Tracy at the airport.)

Jay Jay:(from o.s.) Snuffy was right! SNUFFY WAS RIGHT!!!

(Three heads turn in the direction of his voice; wider shot as he zips into view.)

Brenda: Jay Jay, slow down. What on earth are you talking about?Jay Jay: Snuffy was right! There really is an upside down waterfall, I saw it, I saw it!! (cut to the other three.)Tracy, Brenda: You're kidding!Jay Jay:(from o.s.) No! (Back to him.) It's really, really there! Follow me!

(He taxis away, and the view dissolves to the hole in the ground from earlier as it sprays; zoom out slowly.)

Jay Jay:(from o.s.) See?

(Cut to the other side; three planes and one mechanic witnessing.)

Jay Jay: Snuffy was right, there really is an upside down waterfall.Snuffy: I told you so!Tracy: Incredible! (Her perspective of the "upside down waterfall; zoom in slowly.) The water really is going up instead of down!Brenda:(from o.s.) Now I understand what's going on. See guys, the water is going up instead of down, because it isn't a waterfall at all—it's called a geyser. (Cut to her, Snuffy standing alongside.) That's when water deep in the ground gets so hot, that it creates steam. Then, the water and steam explode out of the ground like a giant water hose, creating...a geyser.

(Cut to her perspective of the geyser on the end of this, it sprays again.)

Other three:(from o.s.) Ooooooh! (Back to Snuffy/Brenda on the start of the next line.)Snuffy: But Brenda, how come when I came back to show it to Jay Jay and Tracy, it wasn't here?Brenda: Good question, Snuffy. Y'see, a geyser doesn't shoot water up all the time. As it slowly heats up underground, the geyser takes a nice, long rest before the next big gush happens.Snuffy: Wow! It's fast asleep, just like us.Brenda: That's it! (Cut to Jay Jay.)Jay Jay: Well, from now on, I promise I'm always going to believe you. (Back to Snuffy/Brenda.)Snuffy:(flattered) Aww...thanks, Jay Jay.Brenda: Hey, you know what?Other three: What?Brenda: I don't think anybody's seen this geyser before.

(Cut to the geyser on the end of this; zoom in slowly as it gushes.)

Brenda:(from o.s.) Snuffy's the first one to discover it, so... (Back to her and Snuffy.) Why don't we call it "Snuffy's Geyser"? (Cut to Jay Jay/Tracy.)Tracy:(nodding) Great idea! (Back to the other two; Snuffy chuckles, flattered.)Snuffy: Wow! (Back to the first two.)Jay Jay: Come on! Let's go fly up, around Snuffy's Geyser!

(He giggles and exits, Tracy following.)

Tracy: Yeah, okay! (Cut to Brenda.)Brenda:(waving) Bye-bye, guys!

(Cut to the sky; all three planes rise into view.)

Jay Jay: Not "bye-bye guys," it's "hello, guys-er!" (All laugh.)

Same tune as Jay Jay's laws of nature song

Jay Jay: Hey, Snuffy, I'm really sorry.

Lighter tone, flute/woodwinds/xylophone slide on second and fourth beats

Jay Jay: You were right, little guy, the water did fall high
You saw what you saw, you would never lie(All three rise high into the air.)All three: Now we'll all zoom up 'til we touch the sky

Last word held; all instruments out, harp for two barsAll instruments back in afterward

All three: And so will all the water

Song ends on a stinger

(They proceed forward and burst into laughter again, but settle down before the next line.)

Narrator: From that day forward, Jay Jay would never again not believe what Snuffy saw. He knew there are a lot of other new things to discover...

(Dissolve to a close-up of the geyser—named "Snuffy's Geyser"—and zoom in slowly as it gushes.)